Announcing a new program
TPSM is an initiative of the College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, formed to address contemporary issues of sports, media and society. TPSM supports curriculum, research and programming on issues of interest to the academic disciplines of the College: Communication Studies, Advertising and Public Relations, Radio-Television-Film and Journalism. TPSM cultivates conversations small and large to gain insights into the cultural impact of sport's relationship with media.
The purpose of the Program is to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and research on sports, media and culture, an emphasis that will build upon the College’s recently announced gift from the Cain Foundation in the area of entertainment studies. The Program will take advantage of the College’s strengths in film and television, popular culture, new media formats, and journalism and society. While athletics involves more than entertainment, its entertaining aspects are unquestionably important--culturally, financially, and ethically. When combined with The University’s long-standing interest in sports-related activities, the Program will elevate contemporary discussions of sports and American culture as well as the role of competitive athletics on the international scene.
Program Support
Although our fund-raising is just beginning, one loyal U.T. donor has already made a multi-year commitment to the Program and expressed a willingness to make personal solicitations on its behalf as well. Another U.T. alum has committed to matching—in Year Four of the Project—all funds raised during the Project’s first three years up to a maximum of $1 million. For its part, the College of Communication will help support an annual symposium on sports and public policy. Furthermore, senior staffers in The University Development Office have agreed to help with fund-raising, as has the Development staff in the College of Communication. In addition, U.T.’s Director of Libraries has committed personnel and programming needed to build a major web-based archive focused on the modern Olympic movement, a database that will bring instant credibility to the Program. Finally, members of Central Administration at U.T. are excited about the Program, with the Provost having committed significant funds to help support its first three years of operation.
Credentialing study released
TPSM is pleased to release its first research initiative: Press or Pass? Bloggers and Media Access in Professional Baseball by Avery Holton, a doctoral candidate in UT’s School of Journalism.
Independent bloggers represent the least trusted media type and are the most likely to be turned down for press pass requests, according to the first academic study to assess the sentiments of media-credentialing executives in sports organizations toward new media coverage.
Traditional media outlets, including local TV, radio and newspapers, followed by national sports magazines and newspapers, earned the most trust—and press passes—while online channels earned the least trust. Among online channels, bloggers affiliated with established media outlets, such as the LA Times Sport blog and EPSN.com, earned less trust than traditional media outlets, but significantly more trust than independent bloggers, who were at the bottom of the trust scale.
Holton surveyed 127 professional baseball teams from every organizational level to measure their “trust” in various media and how they responded to requests for press passes. Team media relations officials were asked to rank their trust in media ranging from the traditional to the non-traditional. Holton developed a “trust index” to provide an unbiased picture of trust. The results showed a large divide between the levels of trust team management places in traditional media and bloggers.
“The findings in this study speak to a key challenge being faced by sports organizations with regard to their media relationships and the rise of web-based communication networks,” said Mike Cramer, executive director of the Texas Program in Sports and Media. “TPSM is pleased to be presenting this defining research for the industry and we’re looking forward to engaging a full spectrum of substantive issues that define the breadth and complexity of the relationship sports and media has with American culture.”
